Chapter 6: Practice Makes Perfect
Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda D'Oro…you already know that…
Note:
I selected the piece Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart for the ensemble performance because I absolutely love this melody. It is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written. A literal translation would be "A Little Serenade" but "A Little Night Music" is the better known and more popular translation.
A little bit of information: A double bass (pronounced double base) looks more like the cello, but is larger and incidentally the largest member of the violin family. It is also known as contrabass or upright bass. It is a standard member of the string section of the symphony orchestra and smaller string ensembles in Western classical music. It is also the lowest pitched member of the violin family. It can be played using a French bow or by plucking the strings.
The morning breeze seemed more enticing than ever as Kahoko walked down the street, violin case in hand, to go to her aunt's place. If only I could wake up this early every morning…she sighed.
It was the end of February and all the concours participants were asked to practice together for the ensemble piece. They would be doing it at her aunt's place, primarily because it had three large soundproof practice rooms. The other reason was that the director, Kira Akihiko would be present today to check on their progress. They would be doing it once a week. Also she would get to hear the solo pieces.
Since all the exams were over the first years and second years were getting a lot of free practice time, but the outgoing third years were busy preparing for the college entrance exams. It could be said that the meeting was specially conducted so that the third years could get some proper practice time. Kahoko smiled at her aunt's thoughtfulness.
She got down from the bus and headed to the beachfront house. Dressed in a short denim skirt and white dress-style shirt, with a black jacket wound around her waist, she was about to ring the doorbell when she realized that the ocean looked too tempting in the morning. I should sink my feet in the cool water before going in to practice…she thought.
She made her way to the beach and took off her sandals. As she let the gentle waves wash over her feet, she saw a red haired woman looking in her direction. Realization sunk in a few seconds. "Buon giorno, zia." Ayame nodded to her in response and asked her in a playful tone as she made her way to Kahoko, "You are up early! You were never an early bird I remember!"
Kahoko pouted in mock anger, and then stuck out her tongue playfully. "It was too tempting to not get up early. The morning is so beautiful!"
Ayame agreed with her. "One of the reasons I got the house at the oceanfront is because I love the sunrise. Back in Okinawa, where your father and I were raised, we would get up early just to watch the sunrise and the morning ocean. Even though your father loved sunsets more and I was never a morning person."
She looked at Kahoko and smiled at her. "You are the one who is most like Aki, amongst all of your siblings."
Kahoko suddenly couldn't find words and could feel her throat constricting. Talking about her father was still hard for her, because not only was he her dad, but also her teacher when it came to the piano. Playing the piano with her dad was some of the things that she cherished most. Even though he would be busy with the family business, he would always find time to teach her. Her older sister would play the cello while she, her father, and her older brother would be play the piano.
There was a lot of sacrifice involved when her father passed away. Even though her sister was a budding musician, she gave up the cello, because she felt it was her duty to support the family as the oldest of the three siblings. In fact her sister was a graduate of Seiso Academy's Music Department. But she turned down the scholarship Seiso University offered her, and instead majored in English from Tokyo University. After that she went to work for an advertisement agency. Since she was very creative in nature it was not a problem for her. She had definitely carved a niche for herself in the ad world. But is she truly happy, having to give up something you love so much? She would think silently.
She had once seen her sister looking longingly at the cello in her room. She still played it, but not to her heart's content. Things would probably have been different had Dad lived…
"Tell me a bit more about Dad, zia." Kahoko looked straight into her aunt's eyes. "I want to know what kind of a person he was, more importantly, I want to hear your perspective of him, as his sister."
Ayame was slightly taken aback by her question. She had definitely not expected Kahoko to ask her that question. She smiled at her and then looked out at the ocean. She began,
" Fun-loving, happy and a carefree person…that's how I describe him. Although he never showed he was carefree, because, in his words, 'The both of us can't be carefree. One has to be a bit more serious.'" She chuckled lightly.
" He loved music. He could play the piano before he could properly walk, Mum tells me these days. He was the one who helped me practice when I picked up the violin. That's why when we were in our second year at Seiso, he was my accompanist in the concours. Even though I knew many piano majors, I chose him because I was most comfortable with him and I knew that my best performances would always come if I performed with him."
"Uhm..zia..why was Dad in the General Education department? From what you are telling me, he could have easily gotten into the Music Department." Kahoko asked, curious.
" He did. He changed departments in our first year. It was mostly because of our grandmother." She sighed, running a hand through her long red hair, which was unbound that morning. " She was worried about the fact that both of us were serious enough to pursue music as a career. Mostly because of the family winery business. She asked us to give up music. Aki struck a deal with her that I be allowed to pursue music as a career while he would give up the piano and support the business as she wished. I vehemently opposed the idea, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. I don't blame my grandmother for it much either. She was merely thinking about the fate of the business that she and grandfather set up. Blood and sweat went into making it successful and she didn't want anyone outside the family to control the business. Regarding my brother, I think participating in the concours drove away some of the resentment he felt on that."
" He was absolutely an overprotective person. If I went home with my friends it was well and good, but if I didn't he would always accompany me home. I have to admit it kind of pissed me off, but then I allowed him to do it just because I loved him."
She continued, "I still miss him. Probably because I was born with him and that feeling is different. When you have a twin, it feels like he has a part of your soul and vice versa. I know that that part of my soul is lost forever."
She looked at Kahoko and was shocked to see her crying and smiling at the same time. "Thanks for telling me that, zia." Ayame wiped away the tears rolling down her face.
"Y..You know…I am glad you are here for sometime more." Kahoko stuttered. "I feel that with you near me, I have a piece of dad with me." She smiled radiantly at Ayame.
" Same here." Ayame smiled back.
" We should get going. You need to practice on your solo piece before the others arrive at 9." Ayame said, before turning around to head back to her apartment.
"Right-o!" Said Kahoko happily.
She let the wind mess up her hair once more, before taking a last look at the sunrise and turning from the ocean.
------------------------------------------------------
She raised the bow again, after finishing her piece. She was in her aunt's place, practicing her solo piece. Kahoko looked at the wall clock; 8:04 AM . Almost an hour left till the others arrive…she thought silently.
Her attention turned to the shining black grand piano at the centre of the practice room. She put down the violin and the bow on a table, and walked slowly towards the piano. Kahoko gently touched the instrument and let out an audible sigh. So many memories…
" It would not hurt to play, you know. Maybe after playing it you can concentrate better on the task at hand."
The new voice made her turn around. A young girl, of around her age, with waist length black hair, was standing at the door of the room, smiling at her.
"Yuki!!" Kahoko ran to give her cousin a big hug, who returned the hug. " You heard?"
" Yeah… I could tell your mind was not in it. Melodie, right??" Yukina asked, letting go of her.
Kahoko nodded in response.
" Play the piano." Kahoko was about to shake her head when Yuki interrupted. " It will help, trust me."
"On one condition though." Kahoko answered.
"Name it." Yuki responded at once. " You do my accompaniment after this. I need to perfect my piece. I cannot afford to slack off as just now." Yukina looked at her sister thoughtfully and then nodded. "Deal."
Kahoko turned away from her sister to look at the piano again. Then she took small steps to it. As she sat down on the piano seat, she slowly raised the keyboard cover and stared at the keys again.
"Face your fears. Once you overcome this, there is nothing that can stop you. You should know that." Said Yukina as she took a seat to hear her perform. Kahoko looked at her and then gave her a small smile.
" I pray you are right." She whispered.
A small touch on a key let out a beautiful sound. It encouraged her to play even more. Soft notes of Fur Elise emanated from her touch and filled up the room in its beautiful melody as she watched her old skills come back, even after years of not practicing. Yukina closed her eyes to concentrate on her heartwarming melody. She should never have given up…this is the music that she used to make so many summers ago…she thought ruefully.
Kahoko closed her eyes as she let her heart take over her mind. She didn't need to look at the keys, she knew it as the back of her palm.
As the last notes faded in the air, she opened her eyes. She had never imagined that she would be able to play again after what happened to her father. Tears started to build up in her eyes.
" You alright, sweetie?" Yuki asked, walking towards the piano, worried about her. Kahoko nodded in silence. "Was it alright?" Kahoko asked in a choked voice.
" Alright?? That was damn good, babe!!" Yukina winked at her, giving her a thumbs up and a toothy grin. Kahoko couldn't help but laugh at her expression. Somehow, her sister made her feel a lot better just with a look or a word. Yukina was such a cheerful personality, the people around her just couldn't help but be affected by her.
" So how about your end of the deal huh?" Kahoko asked playfully. Yukina gave an audible sigh in reply and rubbed the back of her head. " Alright, alright…but mind you, I might make some mistakes, I don't practice much these days."
" YOU of all people will not make a mistake, I know that…and you saying not practicing much probably means that you don't practice more than an hour. Isn't that right??"
Yukina sighed again and then mumbled, "You and Mum are the same."
Kahoko laughed as she got up from the piano and picked up her violin from the table and readied herself into position. As the piano started playing and the bow drew gently across the violin, playing the first notes of the piece, a beautiful sound was created.
…………………………………………………..
" You been here long, Hino?" asked Ryotaro as he entered the house. Kazuki, who was behind him, let out a low whistle, as he looked around the place. " This is fabulous!" He exclaimed.
Kahoko let out a giggle as she answered Ryotaro. " Yeah, well, I can't practice at home, so I came early so that I could brush up for a while before you guys came."
They decided to practice in the living room , which had a beautiful redwood piano at one side. The director sat at the sofa along with Kanazawa. Ayame motioned them to start at the third beat. At her signal, they started together---no awkwardness, no late starts, nothing. It sounded melodious, even with the slightly contemporary twist of having the clarinet, the flute and the trumpet in it. A smile graced Ayame's lips…Kahoko does seem to be enjoying herself, and is a lot more relaxed.
…………………………………………………………………..
After a couple of hours, the piece seemed perfect. Even though they started at the same time each time and didn't miss a beat, still there would be some mistakes---most of them coming from Kahoko, although it could be seen that she had put maximum effort to correct her mistakes. When they played it perfectly in the last attempt, it sounded absolutely beautiful, so good that even the director could not help but smile while Misa, Kanazawa, Ayame and Yukina clapped.
"How about a break, huh?? Then we can start off with the solo pieces." Ayame suggested. The others agreed with her enthusiastically. "Make yourself at home." She smiled at them. "Yuki, honey, give me a hand, would ya?" She called Yukina, who got up immediately. "Sure thing, Mum."
After they came back with some snacks, Yukina spoke up. "So, Kanayan, do you practice still? I took your advice and it payed off. My voice sounds much better right now."
Kazuki looked surprised as Kanazawa sighed uncomfortably. "Practice, who Kanayan??? And Daidouji-chan, are you a singer?" Yukina nodded. "I am training to be an opera singer. I thought my level was that of a lyric soprano, because I couldn't really control the contralto and the pitch of my voice. Then Kanayan taught me some practice methods he used to use when he was an opera singer in Vienna. It really paid off and I now know for sure that my voice level is that of a soprano, not a lyric soprano as I earlier assumed." Yukina finished, getting some startling stares from everyone except the elders. Kanazawa sighed again.
"What?? Didn't you know?? Hey Kanayan, why didn't tell them before??" Yuki admonished him, who sighed yet again, this time rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. She clapped her hands together as she got up and said, "Well, no time like the present to show off your skills!" She dragged Kanazawa to the redwood piano, even as Kanazawa kept on complaining. "Hey…I haven't practiced in while, you know…Yuki-chan, you really are too much." He looked into Yukina eyes and noticed her determination. He sighed as he gave in. "What's the piece?"
"Finally, you are shaking the dust off! It's Andréa Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's duet Time To Say Goodbye. Is it allright with you?" Yukina asked, happy that she had atleast managed to force him to sing.
"Yeah, that's good with me…I like the piece a lot." Kanazawa relied with a smile.
"Mind if I do the accompaniment??" Misa asked with a smile. "Sure Hamai-san! I would love it!" replied Yukina enthusiastically. Yukina actually wanted Kahoko to do the accompaniment but decided against it, considering the fact that it would be too much on her mental condition, to play in front of everyone else.
Hamai Misa started the accompaniment on Kanazawa's signal. Yukina closed her eyes as the song poured out of her lips:
Quando sono solo
Sogno allorizzonte
E mancan le parole
Si lo so che non c? luce
In una stanza
Quando manca il sole
Se non ci sei tu con me, con me.
Su le finestre
Mostra a tutti il mio cuore
Che hai acceso
Chiudi dentro me
La luce che
Hai incontrato per strada
(When I am alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room
Where the sun is not there
If you are not with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.)
Yukina reached the high and low notes effortlessly, showing off the depth of her voice. She opened her eyes to reveal stunning hazel orbs as she continued:
Time to say goodbye
Paesi che non ho mai
Veduto e vissuto con te
Adesso si li vivro.
Con te partiro
Su navi per mari
Che io lo so
No no non esistono piu
Its time to say goodbye.
It was Kanazawa Hiroto's turn. Time to bite the bullet…he thought. He took a deep breath as he sang:
Quando sei lontana
Sogno allorizzonte
E mancan le parole
E io si lo so
Che sei con me con me
Tu mia luna tu sei qui con me
Mio sole tu sei qui con me
Con me con me con me
(When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon,
are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me.
With me, with me, with me,)
Time to say goodbye
Paesi che non ho mai
Veduto e vissuto con te
Adesso si li vivro.
Con te partiro
Su navi per mari
Che io lo so
No no non esistono piu
(Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
I will go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them)
Then they sang together. It filled up the heart of all those who heard them:
Con te io li rivivro.
Con te partiro
Su navi per mari
Che io lo so
No no non esistono piu
Con te io li rivivro.
Con te partiro
Io con te.
Time to say goodbye
(I will go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
I will go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
Ill go with you,
I with you.)
When they finished, there was astonishment in the students' faces. Then came a thunderous applause. Yukina took Kanazawa's hand and they bowed together. "Don't tell me that doesn't feel good, Kanayan!?? I, for one, loved to sing like that!" There was a huge grin on her face as she looked up at him. He couldn't help but smile back at her. Her nature's truly infectious, like Hino…he mused silently.
……………………………………………………………
The next few hours were spent uneventfully, with the participants practicing and perfecting their solo pieces. As for Kahoko, the only mistake she made was not reaching one of the bars completely. Other than that she played flawlessly.
"You were great, Daidouji-san!" gushed Kazuki. Yukina rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, but smiled back. "Thanks senpai, I am glad you liked it. It happens to be one of my most favourite pieces actually."
They were preparing to leave after almost six hours of practice. They had lunched there, for Ayame would not take no for an answer. She had Kahoko and Yukina to help her, and the boys did not want to feel guilty of putting the pressure on the girls to cook for 11 people, so Ryotaro and Kanazawa helped the girls out. They enjoyed the meal a lot, most of the time was spent chatting away.
It was around 3 when they left. Kahoko bid her aunt and cousin goodbye and walked to the bus stop with the guys.
" Oy hino, you got free time right now? For a couple of hours?" Ryotaro asked her as they walked.
" I am sorry Tsuchiura-kun, but no. Okaa-san asked me to come home early because she had some errands to run in the afternoon. I am really sorry…another time maybe?" Kahoko apologized to her.
"oh..that's ok then…actually Hihara-senpai and I were planning to try out a new restaurant nearby so we thought you would like to come along… but that's fine…there's always next time, ne?"
Kahoko nodded with a smile, and waved them goodbye as her bus had come. She got up and seated herself near the window. She then pulled out her CD player from her bag and started playing Per Amore by Andréa Bocelli. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the cushion as she let his voice soothe her mind and nerves.
Her bliss ended when she felt soft hands rubbing the sides of her arms. She jerked up to look into startling eyes, which seemed to smile down at her. She opened her mouth to say something but words failed her.
" Ohayou, Kahoko."
Author's Note: 6th chapter done! This is absolutely the longest chapter I have written till now; I take back when I said that the 4th chapter was the longest. About the music in this chappie, Time To Say Goodbye is a duet sung by Italian tenor Andréa Bocelli and English soprano Sarah Brightman in 1996. The song was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and was sung as a farewell to Henry Maske, a German light-heavyweight champion. The song Per Amore was recorded in 1993. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I loved writing it. Do leave a review, and lemme know how you liked the chapter. Happy reading!!